Breaking Conventions
by StoryWeaver5757
Summary: Fanfic for "Onward" (2020). Barley meets a mermaid at a tabletop rpg convention and starts to have feelings for her. They go on a quest together to find a magic sword, but will they discover more on the way?
1. Chapter 1

Barley drove his brother in his van over to Quest Con: the biggest convention for the game _Quests of Yore_. As they got out of Guinevere 2, Barley put his hand on Ian's shoulder.

"Well dear brother, your first convention experience is awaiting." said Barley as he put on his theatrical voice.

"Barley, do you have to talk like that all the time?" asked Ian.

"Everyone here does it, Ian. You just got to get into the spirit when you're at Quest Con." said Barley, "Now you got your student ID?"

"Right here." said Ian.

"Then lets sally forth!" said Barley.

They entered into the building. Everyone from the tiniest fairies to the largest of trolls was dressed in costumes from long ago. There were booths selling merchandise of all sorts from t-shirts, tabletop miniatures, and even crochet tea cozies.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting it to be this big." said Ian.

"You haven't seen anything yet, dear brother, for you must join your first ever _Quests of Yore_ game campaign."

Barley took his brother over to a large room with tables set up where creatures could sit down and play their favorite tabletop rpg.

"Now you're just a novice wizard right now, so we'll need to start you off with someone who can give us a good campaign. Perhaps with a small party."

Barley scanned the room for a suitable table. Most of the tables had members that clearly had more experience than Ian had. It was then he saw a lone table with a girl sitting at the end.

"Ah, perfect!" said Barley.

He lead Ian over to the table and approached the girl.

"Excuse me, Fair Maiden. My brother is a level one wizard wishing to partake on his first quest."

"Oh great!" said the girl, "I have a campaign that's perfectly suited for wizards."

The girl reached into her backpack, pulled out some papers, dice, and tiny miniatures as she set them up on the table. Barley looked at the miniatures and noticed they were painted in fine detail.

"You paint your miniatures too?" asked Barley.

"Yeah, they help advance the game." said the girl.

"That's how I feel about it too!" said Barley.

Ian picked up a figure and studied it.

"How do you get them so detailed?" he asked.

"Lots of patience and tiny brushes." said the girl, "Now, do you two have any character sheets?"

"Right here." said Barley as he handed the girl the sheets.

"Alright. Ian Lightfoot and Barley Lightfoot. Those are nice names. Please take a seat and we can start."

Ian and Barley sat down and grabbed some pencils and a notebook.

The girl then cleared her voice before setting up the scene.

"You've reached the Manticore's Tavern. The smell of mead permeates the air as you enter."

"We actually know the Manticore." said Ian.

"REALLY?" asked the girl.

"Yeah, she's really nice. She and our mom like to hang out together practicing sword fighting."

"That's so cool!" said the girl before realize she had to go back to her campaign, "Anyways, the Manticore enters into the room. Her large wings and her scorpion tail swish as she approaches you..."

As the girl continued to talk, Barley began to lose focus. He found the girl to be rather pretty with long brunette hair and deep blue eyes. He also noticed the fin-like ears that pointed outwards, giving her a bit of an elven look. Her voice was light and upbeat with a hint of charisma as she set the scene for the two teenagers.

"Barley!" said Ian as he tapped his brother on the shoulder.

Barley flinched a bit.

"WHAT?!"

"The Manticore is speaking to you."

"Oh." said Barley as he got out his character sheet, "I use my Charisma points to convince the Manticore to hand over her map."

The girl looked at Barley, then rolled the dice.

"You attempt has proven effective and she gives you the map."

They continued the game for at least two hours until the game ended.

"Well I think you two did great on your quest." said the girl, "Especially you, Ian; can't believe this was your first campaign."

"Thanks." said Ian.

"Well, I think I best be going."

It was at that moment the girl wheeled herself out from the table, revealing her wheelchair and her scaly pink tail.

"Oh!" said Ian.

"What's wrong?" asked the girl.

"Nothing. I just didn't realize you were a mermaid." said Ian, "I didn't even know mermaid were interested in this kind of stuff."

"IAN!" said Barley before turning to the mermaid, "Forgive my brother; he does not know of the tales of the likes of the great mermaid rogue, Myra the Mysterious."

"You know about Myra the Mysterious? I have her playing card right here!" said the mermaid as she got out her card.

"That's so awesome!" said Barley.

"You know, if you want, we can continue playing another time." said the mermaid as she started writing down her information, "My name is Isla Swifttail, by the way."

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Miss Swifttail." said Barley as he bowed and tipped his hat.

The girl smiled and laughed a little before wheeling out of the room.

Ian looked over at his brother, who seemed to be focused on something else.

"Barley, are you okay?"

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." said Barley.


	2. Chapter 2

A week had passed since Quest Con. Ian had just gotten home from school and was about to put his backpack down when his pet dragon, Blazey, greeted him.

"Hey girl." said Ian as he pet the dragon.

It was at that moment, he heard his brother in his room muttering out loud.

"Okay, so maybe that's when the skeletons attack. No, skeletons are too cliche. What about an orc? No, that might open up a whole other can of worms if I did that."

Out of curiosity, Ian decided to check up on his brother. The room was covered in sheets of crumbled up paper surrounding Barley, who was at his desk sketching something.

"Barley?" asked Ian.

Barley was startled.

"DON'T LOOK! IT'S NOT FINISHED!"

"What's not finished?" asked Ian.

"Oh. I was drawing a dungeon for a campaign." said Barley.

"Okay." said Ian, "You know I really enjoyed that last campaign we had with that mermaid. What was her name again?"

"Isla Swifttail?" said Barley.

"Yeah, that was it." said Ian, "Maybe she'd like to play."

Barley's eyes grew wide as he started stacking papers.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" asked Ian, "She seems to know the game pretty well and is nice enough."

It was at that moment a thought came to Ian's mind.

"Barley, do you LIKE Isla?"

"What?! No!" said Barley, "I mean, sure, I like her, but not in THAT way."

"Well it wouldn't hurt to call her."

Ian pulled out his cellphone. Barley gasped and grabbed it away from his brother.

"What were you thinking?!"

"Barley, it's just a phone call. Why are you so scared?" asked Ian.

"What?! I'm not scared; I'm never scared." said Barley.

"Then talk to Isla." said Ian.

Barley bit his lip. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the number, and dialed.

"Hello?" said Isla's voice on the phone.

"Hi, Isla? This is Barley."

"Barley Lightfoot? Oh hi!"

Barley started to sweat profusely as she spoke.

"Hi. Umm, my brother and I had a good time with you at Quest Con and I was wondering if you'd like to roleplay at our house on Saturday."

"I'd love to. Sure, I'm free on Saturday. Just text me the address and I'll be over."

"Great! See you then. Bye!"

Barley hung up the phone and sighed.

"What did I just do?" he asked.

"You just asked a girl if she'd like to hang out." said Ian.

"Oh boy." sighed Barley.

"I'll send her the address so she can find us." said Ian.


	3. Chapter 3

Saturday had approached. Barley started cleaning the house and setting up the table for their game.

"Okay, so I gotta make some room for her wheelchair so she can move easily."

It was at that moment he heard a car pull up.

"Oh shoot! That must be her!"

Barley went outside to greet her. He stood in shock to see she too had a van that was painted, though instead of a unicorn like Guinevere and Guinevere 2, it was painted with a Griffin. Isla popped her head out of the window.

"Hello!"

"Whoa. You painted the side of your van?" asked Barley.

"Yup." said Isla, "I call it the Griff-van."

"That's an awesome name!" said Barley, "I've painted my van with a unicorn. I call her Guinevere 2."

"Guinevere 2?" asked Isla.

"Yeah, the first Guinevere got wrecked, so I had to buy a new van... Anyways, do you need any help getting out?"

"No need. I've got this."

Isla pushed a button in her van, opening up the door and exposing a lift for her wheelchair. She wheeled onto the lift and pushed another button to go down.

"So, shall we go inside?" asked Isla.

"Oh, yeah. I have everything set up. Follow me."

Barley led Isla inside the mushroom house. Their dragon, Blazey, came running in barking and leaped up on Isla's lap.

"Blazey, no!" said Barley, "I'm so sorry Isla; she gets very excited whenever someone comes through the door."

"It's okay. I love dragons." said Isla as she started petting Blazey on the head.

It was at that moment Barley's mother, Laurel, came into the room.

"Hi! You must be Isla. The boys have been telling me about you. You can call me Laurel."

"Nice to meet you, Laurel." said Isla as she shook her hand.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" asked Laurel.

"Do you have any Elixir?" asked Isla.

"We do. That happens to be Barley's favorite. I'll be right back with it."

As Laurel went to get the drink, Ian walked into the room.

"Hi Isla."

"Hi Ian." said Isla, "Ready for our big game?"

"Sure am." said Ian before turning to his brother, "Ready Barley?"

Barley barely paid attention.

"Hmm? Oh right. I got it set up right here."

Barley walked over to the table. Ian and Isla followed and took their seat. Isla took out her character sheet and placed a painted wooden mermaid on the table.

"Wait, Isla, I remember your other miniatures being made of plastic and metal. How come that one is wooden?" asked Ian.

"Oh, they don't make mermaids for _Quests of Yore_." said Isla, "At least they use to, but the makers of the game removed them because gamers complained their inclusion made the game 'too political'. Others have even brought up the many instances merfolk have played an important role in history, but we keep getting dismissed with everyone telling us that mermaids can't go on quests."

"That's bizarre." said Ian.

"That's the gaming world for you." said Isla.

Barley couldn't help but listen and feel a bit sorry for Isla not being able to have a character like her to play as.

Ian looked over at his brother.

"Barley?"

"What? Oh, right, the game!" said Barley as he sat down and cleared his throat, "You are in the Manticore's Tavern. A cyclops approaches you and gives you a map. They tell you it leads to a magic sword hidden in a dungeon, guarded by the Mind Flayer."

"What's a mind flayer?" asked Ian.

"It's an octopus like creature with the power to control minds." said Isla.

"Thank you for explaining." said Barley before continuing on his campaign.

They continued for some time until both Ian and Isla's character entered into a forest.

"It was at that moment, a swarm of monkey-bees block your path."

"Wait, monkey-bees? Those can't be real." said Ian.

"No, those are real." said Isla.

"She's right, Ian. It's right here in the _Quests of Yore_ book." said Barley as he showed his little brother the page describing monkey-bees.

"Huh. Okay, I guess you're right then." said Ian.

"May I make a move?" asked Isla.

"Certainly." said Barley.

"Alright." said Isla as she grabbed her character sheet. "I use a smoke bomb to subdue the monkey-bees."

Barley nodded and rolled the dice.

"The monkey-bees are subdued."

"I'd like to go next." said Ian.

"Go ahead dear brother." said Barley.

"I'd like to cast Lightning Bolt on the monkey-bees."

Barley rolled the dice again.

"You miss and the monkey-bees are angered."

"I get out my dueling daggers and lunge at the monkey-bees." said Isla.

Intrigued by Isla's move, Barley rolled the dice.

"You have slain the monkey-bees."

"How'd you do that?" asked Ian.

"Merfolk might not be able to walk, but we can jump." said Isla.

Barley cleared his throat.

"After you defeat the monkey-bees, a bard approaches you and claps, impressed by your skills. 'Bravo! I never seen such skill from such as the likes of thee.'."

"Oh, and you might be, Sir Bard?" asked Isla.

"You may call me Munro the Musical." said Barley in his theatrical voice.

Isla laughed lightheartedly.

"Okay, Mister Munro, what are you doing here out in these woods?" asked Ian.

"I have heard you were going to the dungeon of the Mind Flayer." said Barley, "The only way to subdue the beast is to play a tune. I can offer you this lute if you wish."

"Alright. Perhaps I may buy your lute for 10 gold." said Isla.

Barley nodded and rolled the dice.

"He accepts your offer." said Barley, "He bows and gives you the lute."

Isla smiled a bit before her cellphone went off and she went to look at the clock on the screen.

"Oh shoot. I promised I'd be home before dinner tonight."

Isla started to wheel herself out.

"Well, it was nice playing with the two of you. And Barley, I really liked that campaign."

Isla smiled and wheeled out the door.

"See you later!"

"Bye!" said Ian.

Ian then looked over to his brother, who's face turned from blue to red.

"Barley, you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Just a little hot, I guess." said Barley.


	4. Chapter 4

Days had passed. Barley drove up to Isla's house. He took a nervous breath and walked up to the door as he held a small package in his hand. Barley then rang the doorbell.

"Okay Barley; you can do this." he said to himself.

Isla opened the door.

"Barley? Hi!"

"Hey Isla." said Barley, "I just decided to stop by and say 'hi.'. Also, I got you this."

Barley held out the package and gave it to Isla.

"Oh Barley, you shouldn't have."

Isla opened the package and her eyes widened. Inside was a miniature of a mermaid rogue made of plastic.

"Myra the Mysterious! I love it! Where did you get it?" asked Isla.

"Ian's school has a 3D printer and I asked to borrow it." said Barley.

"It looks just like her! I'm DEFINITELY going to paint this." smiled Isla, "Why don't you come inside?"

Barley nodded nervously, but happy to get to spend a little time with Isla. He walked into the foyer and his eyes widened.

"SWEET TOOTH OF ASGOR!" he said.

The whole house beyond the foyer was nothing but an indoor pool completely filled with water.

"It's alright. It's just water." said Isla before diving in and accidentally getting Barley soaked.

Barley then shrugged his shoulders and slowly went into the water. He followed Isla into the living room where three merfolk were gathered around.

"Barley, I'd like you to meet my mom."

"Hello!" said the older mermaid.

"My dad."

"Hi" said the older merman.

"And this is my brother, Ridley." said Isla, pointing to the younger merman with thick glasses, a long beard, and a man-bun.

"I find your choice of friends to be problematic." said Ridley.

"He thinks everything is problematic." said Isla.

Isla's mother swam up to Barkey.

"So Barley, Isla's been telling us about you and how you like to play _Quests of Yore_. My daughter loves that game."

"Isla's also into cosplay." said Isla's dad, "Isla, why don't you show Barley your work?"

"Sure!" said Isla before turning to Barley, "Follow me."

Barley swam behind Isla until they reached a pale pink room decorated with macrame, unicorns, and princess things.

"Huh. Looks cozy." said Barley.

Isla swam over to her closet and opened it, showing a vast array of costumes.

"Whoa. Did you make these?" asked Barley.

"Most of them, yes." said Isla, "Sometimes I just pick out clothing that looks similar to the character's outfits so I don't break the 'no costume' rule whenever I go to amusement parks. I call it amusementbounding."

It was at that moment, Isla had an idea.

"Why don't I make a costume for you and we can go to a con together some time?"

Barley laughed nervously.

"I don't know. I don't exactly have your typical body for that kind of stuff."

"Neither do I, but I still enjoy cosplay." said Isla, "The point of it is just to have fun and live as your character for a while."

Barley's eyes then widened and he pulled out a costume from the closet.

"Is this from the movie _Newt_?!" asked Barley.

"It sure is." said Isla.

"I LOVE that movie!" said Barley.

"Me too!" said Isla, "The animation is so good and it made me cry."

"I still cry whenever I watch that film!" said Barley.

Isla smiled.

"Oh, let me take some measurements so I can make a costume for you. It may take me a little long to make it since I'm not use to sewing legs, but it'll look great."

Barley nodded. He blushed as Isla started running his body with measuring tape.

"Okay, I think I've got all the measurements I need." said Isla.

Barley nervously coughed.

"I should be getting home before my mom starts wondering where I am."

"Okay." said Isla, "It was nice having you over."

Barley nodded.

After visiting Isla's home, Barley returned home.

"Barley, you're drenched! What happened?" asked Laurel.

"Lets just say things got a little wet at Isla's house." said Barley.


	5. Chapter 5

Weeks had passed and there was another con; this time for cosplay. Isla had made Barley a paladin's outfit complete with a white tabard and gold trim and she wore faux leather armor. Both Barley and Isla went to the convention together.

"I'm glad you could come." said Isla.

"Well, you talked me into it." said Barley, "I really like what you've made me, by the way."

It was at that moment troll with greasy hair and thick glasses wearing a unicorn costume.

"Hello, Isla." said the troll.

"Oh no, not this guy." said Isla.

"You know him?" asked Barley.

"We got into an argument online over a fan theory on _Quests of Yore_." said Isla.

"I see you and you're friend are dressed as characters from the game, by the way." said the troll.

"And I see you're dressed as someone from _My Tiny Unicorn_." said Isla.

"Only from the FOURTH generation of the franchise." said the troll, "What are you doing here, may I ask?"

"Cosplaying like you and the rest here." said Isla.

"Why do you even bother? Merfolk don't attend fan conventions." said the troll.

"Well I'm merfolk and I attend fan conventions." Isla replied.

"But you're not a true fan." said the troll.

"And may I ask what a true fan is?" asked Barley.

"Not anyone who has to rely on technology to get around." said the troll.

"And did you happen to use a GPS to get to this convention?" asked Isla.

The troll paused for a moment.

"Well at least I have legs and don't have to have accommodations just to go on a quest." said the troll.

"Hey, WHOAH! Not cool!" said Barley.

"Oh so now you need your white knight to save you?" asked the troll mockingly.

"I'm actually suppose to be Conrad the Coragerous." said Barley.

"I was being facetious; I KNOW who you're suppose to be." said the troll before turning to Isla, "I honestly thought elves were suppose to be hot, but I guess he was the best you could do."

It was at that moment, Isla ran her wheels over the troll's big toe.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I'm so clumsy." said Isla.

"Oh, you'll get it, mermaid! You won't see the last of me!"

The troll stormed off limping.

Barley looked over at Isla. She looked understandably upset.

"I'm sorry about that guy." said Barley.

"I just wanted to be a part of something." said Isla, "Sadly, prejudice like that just makes things harder."

Barley knelt down.

"Well I think you're worthy of going on any quest."

"Thanks." smiled Isla, "Now lets go and see what wears they're selling at the stalls."

"Right on!" said Barley.


	6. Chapter 6

Barley and Isla had been in close contact with one another. One of the ways they kept up with one another was talking to each other through a chatroom. Barley's username was QuestMasterD20 and Isla's was ThingAMaBob. They would chat each night about things they've done along with their interests. One night, Barley decided to chat with Isla in the chatroom.

QuestMasterD20: Hello.

ThingAMaBob: Hi Barley.

QuestMasterD20: Whatcha up to?

ThingAMaBob: Just finished watching a movie. I heard there was suppose to be a scene in it that was so controversial that it got banned in 4 regions.

QuestMasterD20: Really? What happens in it?

ThingAMaBob: A minor elf character briefly mentions having a dwarf girlfriend.

QuestMasterD20: That's it? That doesn't sound like much of a big deal.

ThingAMaBob: I know. That's what I thought after watching it.

QuestMasterD20: It seems so arbitrary. Such a minor scene isn't going to do any damage and there's nothing wrong with an elf and a dwarf being in a loving relationship.

ThingAMaBob: If anything, such a minor scene with such a minor character saying that brief line feels like underrepresentation for those in that kind of relationship.

At that moment, another user entered the chat room.

CyberTroll: I watched that movie with the elf character who's in love with the dwarf. TOO POLITICAL!

ThingAMaBob: DANGIT KURT, I THOUGHT I BLOCKED YOU!

Isla removed the user from the chatroom.

QuestMasterD20: Who was that?

ThingAMaBob: Oh that was that troll we met at that cosplay convention earlier. Don't worry; I blocked him.

QuestMasterD20: Well I'm glad we don't have to deal with him anymore.

ThingAMaBob: So I was wondering maybe we can go on a camping trip together.

QuestMasterD20: You mean like a quest?

ThingAMaBob: I guess so.

Barley took a moment to think about it. A camping trip WOULD be nice, and to spend it with Isla would make it even better.

QuestMasterD20: Okay, sure.

ThingAMaBob: Great! Maybe Ian might come along too. We could use a wizard on our trip.

QuestMasterD20: Sure. I can ask him.

ThingAMaBob: Great! Anyways, I better get going. My mom needs me to help with laundry. See ya soon.

QuestMasterD20: Bye.

Barley sighed, both happy and a little concerned. A camping trip with Isla? That DID sound like something he'd enjoy, though Ian would be joining them, so it probably isn't a date. Still, he was excited to get to go.


	7. Chapter 7

Barley and Ian packed their thing and started loading Guinevere 2. They drove over to Raven's Point where Isla was there along with the Griffvan next to a lake.

"Hi guys!" said Isla.

"Hi!" said Ian.

"Hey." said Barley.

"So, I was thinking after we get our tents set up, we can go for a swim in the lake." said Isla.

"Okay. Sounds fun." said Ian.

Barley became nervous. Swimming with Isla? What if he messes up in front of her?

As Isla started setting up her tent, Ian looked over at his brother who just stood there and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Wha? Oh, right, the tent!" said Barley as he went to get the supplies.

After setting up the tents, they got their bathing suits on and met at the lake. Both Ian and Barley were wearing swim shorts and Isla wore a bikini top.

"Okay, what are we waiting for? Lets do this!" said Isla.

Isla was about to roll up to the lake when her chair got stuck in the mud.

"Here, let me help you." said Barley.

"No, it's okay, I got this."

Isla shifted her wheelchair until it got unstuck. She then went over to the lake and jumped in. Isla popped up from the water.

"Come on you guys, the water is fine!"

"I don't know. I'm a little nervous about this." said Barley.

"Barley, you're the one that taught me how to swim and you're nervous about this?" said Ian.

Barley looked at the water and bit his lip, hoping not to make himself look like a fool in front of Isla.

"Okay, here it goes."

Barley got on the edge of a rock.

"CANON BALL!"

Barley canon balled into the lake, splashing Isla in the process.

"HEY!" laughed Isla, splashing Barley back.

They both splashed each other simultaneously until they were interrupted by Ian.

"Should I leave the two of you alone?" asked Ian.

The two of them broke up, realizing how ridiculous they were acting.


	8. Chapter 8

That night, Barley, Ian and Isla gathered around the campfire to eat s'mores and sing songs.

"And now I shall tell the story of Letholdus the Legendary." said Barley, "Letholdus was but an apprentice when he had discovered the magic to heal the sick. By the time he had grown old, he had helped thousands of creatures who had grown weak become strong with but his staff."

Ian was intrigued. He then looked over at Isla, who looked a little uncomfortable.

"Isla, you okay?"

"Oh, stories about Letholdus the Legendary aren't my favorite." said Isla.

"How come?" asked Ian.

"Letholdus the Legendary was heavily against the use of technology to the point of burning anything new that was invented."

"Okay, so he was a bit of a technophobe." said Barley, "Doesn't mean he wasn't a great wizard."

"A lot of that technology helped other creatures in need Barley!"

"Why are you acting so-"

It was at that moment he came to the realization that, as a mermaid, Isla needed technology to get by.

"I'm sorry. It never occurred to me that your wheels WERE technology."

"I'm sorry if I'm a bit sensitive on the subject matter." said Isla.

"No, I should've been more aware." said Barley.

There was an awkward pause. Barley then coughed into his fist.

"Anyways, I think we should all turn in for the night."

"Good idea." said Ian.


	9. Chapter 9

As the sun rose, both Ian and Barley groggily got out of their tent.

"You're both up. Great!" said Isla, "We gotta get up early so we can go on our quest."

On the ground, there were all sorts of supplies that Isla started unpacking from her van.

"I got you all sorts of supplies. Sunscreen, grappling hook, some owl bear scent and anti-venom pens in case we run into any monkey bees."

"Wait, where are we going?" asked Ian.

Isla got out a map and showed it to the brothers.

"There's an ancient dungeon not far from here that is claimed to have a magic sword hidden in it. Only those who are brave and have strong heart's fire can wield it."

"Whoa. Where did you get the map?" asked Barley.

"Antique store." said Isla, "I bought it along with an old tea set. Anyways, we better get going."

Curious, Ian and Barley followed Isla on the path indicated in the map. They followed for some time until they reached cliff.

"Well, looks like we'll need some magic for this." said Ian.

Before Ian could cast his spell, Isla threw her grappling hook up onto the cliff and started climbing.

"Uh, Isla, that looks a bit dangerous." said Barley, "Maybe you should let Ian cast his spell so he can lift us up."

"Don't worry; I've got this." said Isla as she was climbing, "Once I get up to the top, I'll lift you guys up."

"You specifically asked for a wizard to join you; I think this would be a good time to use one right now." said Barley.

"We'll use magic when we have to deal with large monsters." said Isla, "This is nothing.

Isla then reached for a rock, but when she did, it came loose and Isla's hand lost grip and was dangling from the cliff.

Scared, Barley ran over with his arms stretched out, ready to save Isla.

Isla tried to swing herself over to the other side, but then her other hand slipped and she started to fall.

Barley's eyes widened as he was ready to catch her, but then Ian used his magic staff on all three of them

"ALOFT ALABAR!"

All three of them were lifted off the ground and slowly went over the cliff, safely landing on the plateau.

Isla had landed on top of Barley. The two looked at each other, blushing before crawling over to her wheelchair and getting on the seat.

"We should get going." she said.


	10. Chapter 10

Ian, Barley, and Isla ventured into a vast jungle with various flora and fauna everywhere they turned. The air was hot and humid, which made their skin sweat and stick to their clothes.

"Okay, according to the map, there should be an entry way to the dungeon just a few miles away from here." said Isla as she looked at the map.

"Good, cause I don't think I can stand this heat any longer." said Ian.

At that moment, a golden, sticky substance dropped from the trees and landed on Ian's head. Confused, Ian tasted the substance, which has a rich sweetness to it.

"Honey?" he said in astonishment and confusion.

"Uh oh. That's not good." said Barley.

"Why?" asked Ian.

"Look up."

Ian, Isla, and Barley turned their attention to the trees, which were full of large nests. From those nests came creatures with monkey-like faces and bee-like bodies.

"Okay, I'll get the owl bear scent." whispered Isla, "Whatever you do, don't make any loud sounds or sudden movements."

At that moment, Barley sneezed. One of the monkey bees screeched and the rest started flying towards the three of them. Isla quickly reached into her backpack, pulled out the spray can of owl bear scent, sprayed it in the air, and the monkey bees scattered and flew off.

"UGH! That STINKS!" said Ian.

"Yeah, owl bear scent is a bit pungent." said Isla.

"Well I'm glad we have it." said Barley.

"Only downside is that it sometimes attracts owl bears." said Isla.

Suddenly, there was loud rustling sound coming from the bushes. A large bear-like creature covered in feathers came out from the thicket. The owl bear made a screech-like growl as it came forward.

Ian stepped forward with his magic staff.

"Voltar Thundasir!" he shouted, but when he tried to cast the spell, all the staff did was fizzle and bubble from being coated with honey.

Ian and Barley were both planning to run off, but Isla grabbed a small log and jumped after the owl bear.

"ISLA!" shouted Barley.

Isla hit the owl bear over the head with the log. It then turned and swatted Isla to the ground.

Barley looked up and saw a falling tree attached to some vines. He cut the vine, making the tree fall down next to the owl bear, which scared off the beast.

Barley quickly ran over to Isla and held her up as she opened her eyes.

"What was that about?!" said Barley.

"I was trying to get the owl bear to go away." said Isla.

"By lunging at it?" asked Barley.

"I was only trying to help the team." Isla replied.

"You didn't have to put your life in danger. That was so stupid!" said Barley.

"Are you saying I can't do anything?" asked Isla.

"No, but you can't do EVERYTHING!" replied Barley.

As the two argued, Ian looked around and saw a group of rune stones in a row heading into the forest.

"Hey guys, I think I found where we're suppose to go."

Both Barley and Isla fell silent. Isla got in her wheelchair and pushed off. Both she, Barley, and Ian started following the rune stones together.


	11. Chapter 11

The three followed the rune stones into the forest. It was dark and dense. They didn't say a word to one another for some time until Isla spoke.

"I'm sorry about my actions with the cliff and the owl bear. I just wanted to prove I was useful."

"Hey, you're plenty useful, Isla." said Barley.

"I appreciate hearing that from you." said Isla, "Being a mermaid, I constantly get told I can't do things like others can, so I often feel pressured to try to prove them wrong."

"You don't have to prove anything. You're great as is."

Isla smiled.

The three of them then stopped as they approached a river. On the other side there was draw bridge with a lever.

"Well we can't just walk through the river; its too deep and fast." said Barley.

"Yeah, and my staff is still covered in honey." said Ian.

Isla looked at the river, then at the lever before jumping into the water.

"ISLA!" shouted Barley.

"Barley, she's a mermaid. Remember?" said Ian.

"Oh, right." said Barley.

Isla swam to the other side, sat on the bank, and pulled the lever, lowering the bridge so Ian and Barley could cross.

After crossing, they saw the entry way to a ruined building.

"Well, this is where the map says the dungeon is." said Isla as she hopped into her wheelchair.

Barley went over to the door and opened it. The three of them slowly entered the dark hallway.

"You know, a dungeon seems like a really dumb place to hide a sword." said Ian.

"The sword was actually owned by a freedom fighter who was arrested and they locked the sword away here according to the map." said Isla.

They found a special room with a door that said "Weapons room." Barley went to open the door, but it was locked.

"I got an idea." said Isla, "Barley, hand me your sword."

Barley handed Isla his sword. She used it to wedge between the door and the doorway until the lock broke and the door flew open.

They entered the room. There were many swords displayed.

"How do we know which one is the real sword?" asked Ian.

Isla scanned the room until her eyes spotted a small sword in the corner.

"That's the one!"

Ian went over to it and lifted it up.

"Are you sure? It looks more like a dagger than a sword."

At that moment, the blade started to grow.

"Okay, so it IS a magic sword." said Ian.

"Wow, it's even more magnificent in person." said Barley as he inspected the sword, "Okay, I suggest we head home now; we've had enough questing today."

"I think you're right." said Isla.


	12. Chapter 12

As the sun set, the three of them drove home.

"Well, outside of an owl bear and a couple monkey bees, I say our quest was mostly uneventful." said Isla.

"Yeah, wasn't much of a quest, was it?" said Ian.

"Well at least we got a cool sword out of it." Barley replied.

The three of them stopped when they saw a familiar looking troll in front of Barley and Ian's house.

"Hello dorks." said the troll.

"Oh no. It's Kurt Sedley." said Isla.

"Who?" asked Ian.

"Just some troll we met at a convention." Barley replied.

"I heard you all went together on a quest together." said Kurt.

"Yes, and we brought back a sword." said Isla as she showed Kurt.

"Pfft. THAT? Looks more like a toothpick. Let me see that."

Kurt grabbed the sword from Isla.

"HEY!" she shouted.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. None of you would even have the strength to hold a REAL sword."

At that moment, the sword grew. Kurt's large, muscular hands had trouble holding onto the sword as the weight grew immensely. Isla then picked up the sword and pointed it at the troll.

"How?" said Kurt, "Mermaids can't wield swords."

"This sword is something you have to EARN from hard work and bravery." said Isla, "Now leave."

Scared, the troll got up and left.

Both Ian and Barley looked at one another and nodded.

"Isla, Ian and I think you should keep that sword." said Barley

"Me?" said Isla, "All I did was find a map and lowered a bridge."

"And without your help, we wouldn't have found it in the first place." said Barley, "Plus, I think you're one of the bravest of anyone I've known."

Isla smiled, then wrapped her arms around Barley. The elf's blue skin turned red, but he too, in return, hugged the mermaid.

"I love you, Barley." whispered Isla.

"...I love you too." said Barley.


End file.
